Full Text of the Excerpt

JIM LELOUDIS:

Did people in the mill village ever get together and do things together on Christmas or Thanksgiving?

ALICE P. EVITT:

They never did here, but before I was married when I lived in Concord, a lot of the girls-I played organ a heap-and they'd come in at night-the mill hill; no strangers, people we knowed-and I'd play the organ and the fella lived right there, he'd pick the guitar and they'd dance. But no outsiders didn't come in. They enjoyed it. I never did dance, never did learn 'cause I'd always play the organ and I couldn't get a chance [laughter]. We'd enjoy that. A lot of times on Sunday, I'd play the organ. A crowd of us'd get together and we'd sing.

JIM LELOUDIS:

Would that be in your house?

ALICE P. EVITT:

Un-huh. We had a organ and they'd always come to our house. All through the week nearly every night they'd be in. Girls'd come in and we'd enjoy it.

JIM LELOUDIS:

Do you remember any of your favorite songs you used to play?

ALICE P. EVITT:

No, I don't. I enjoyed 'em all.

JIM LELOUDIS:

Do you remember the names of any of them?

ALICE P. EVITT:

Yeah. We used to play a lot of them. But, I hadn't played since my mother died. Every time I'd go home, they'd had the organ, she'd want me to play, "The Old Rugged Cross," and I'd play it every time I'd go home. After she died, I never could fool with it no more. That was my favorite 'cause it was hers. I'd play that every time I'd go home. After she passed away, I couldn't play it 'cause I thought of her too much. Things like that will bother you. We used to just play all kind of the old songs. They sing a heap of the old songs yet round and about.